A half-century ago, a boy in New York city spent his days skipping school, playing in arcades, and watching side shows. He bought fireworks illegally, and Times Square was the center of his universe. In the 1970s, that boy met Mary McClelland, the wife of a Harvard psychologist, who lent him a darkroom and gave him her old Leica 3F. With that gift, he became Richard Sandler the street photographer.

New York City street photographer Richard Sandler was handed a Leica in 1977, a simple action that changed the vector of his life.  He began photographing the streets of New York, tapping into the pulse of the 80s.  “You are recording your time,” says Sandler. “You are looking for trends.  If you are in the street, you see it. You see everything on the street.” From his 5th avenue furs to the graffiti strewn subways, Sandler brings the grit and the glamor of the Reagan era to the surface.